* * *
He barely slept, like a student excited for a field trip.
Though, of course, it wasn’t for anything that innocent.
Wookyung’s bleary eyes wandered.
The soft glow of the mood light flickered beside the clock, which showed 4:36 AM.
‘Last time I checked, it was 3…’
Before that, maybe it was 2? Or 2:30?
Everything felt fuzzy, and it didn’t seem like sleep would come anytime soon.
But if he got up now, he might wake Saheon.
With a shallow sigh, Wookyung turned his head.
The one stirring up all these feelings was sound asleep, completely unaware.
‘He sleeps so peacefully.’
How could someone sleep that still, not even snoring a little?
Was he pretending?
He stared at him, a hint of suspicion in his gaze.
But no, Saheon’s calm, rhythmic breathing and slightly parted lips showed he was genuinely asleep.
Even the faint pine scent hanging in the air proved he’d completely relaxed.
‘Pheromones…’
It was a phenomenon Wookyung had never really paid attention to before.
And now, out of nowhere, he could sense it?
‘Why is this happening?’
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
Actually, that wasn’t entirely true—he had a pretty good idea.
Saheon’s sudden rut they spent together.
And the pheromones he must have constantly released toward Wookyung during that time.
He hadn’t realized it then, so who knows how much he was exposed.
But thinking back, he had acted kind of strange.
‘Like I was going into heat or something.’
Ever since presenting, Wookyung had never once thought of himself as an omega.
He couldn’t smell pheromones, and he’d never experienced heat—regular or irregular.
But that day, he was flushed to the point of losing his mind, and he was completely consumed by what happened with Saheon.
And did he hate it?
‘Not at all.’
In fact, he’d wanted it to last even longer.
This was bad.
Just remembering it again made him stir down below.
Wookyung bit down on his lip, fingers twitching slightly.
But the more he tried to resist, the more that ticklish, warm sensation seemed to swell up inside.
Eventually, he sat up carefully and glanced at the still-sleeping Saheon.
Fortunately, he showed no signs of waking.
‘Haa…’
Looking at him sleep so peacefully made Wookyung feel a pang of guilt.
With a quiet sigh, he slipped out of bed and tiptoed into the living room.
Sitting on the sofa, he hugged his knees and rested his chin on them.
He stayed like that until the alarm rang.
When he sensed Saheon stirring in the bedroom, he quickly headed for the bathroom in the living room.
He didn’t want him to see how much he’d struggled through the night.
Despite the emotional turmoil, his body still radiated heat, which left him feeling helpless.
Water could be heard running for quite some time in the bathroom Wookyung entered.
They were having a light breakfast of toast and coffee.
“Wookyung, was the bed uncomfortable?”
Saheon asked with concern, eyes scanning Wookyung’s face.
“Huh?”
“You look really tired.”
“Oh, no.”
Wookyung denied it, brushing his cheek with the back of his hand.
Did it really show that much?
He hadn’t noticed anything when he checked the mirror earlier.
Just in case, he had washed his face thoroughly and carefully applied skincare—nothing felt different from usual.
“Make sure you rest during the flight.”
Thankfully, Saheon didn’t pry further.
Instead, he gently pushed the salad bowl closer to Wookyung.
Touched by the small gesture, Wookyung picked out a cherry tomato and popped it in his mouth.
The tangy freshness filled his mouth, but for some reason, the aftertaste felt off.
They headed out right after the meal.
It was early enough that traffic to the airport was smooth and breezy.
“It really feels like we’re going on vacation.”
At the airport, Saheon looked genuinely excited as he pulled the suitcase from the trunk.
His tone was light, almost giddy.
“This is a business trip, not a vacation.”
Of course, they were flying to the U.S. together, and they’d be alone until the other staff arrived, so Wookyung couldn’t deny that the thought had crossed his mind too.
Still, seeing Saheon so obviously happy made him want to tease, so he answered curtly.
As expected, those handsome brows drooped instantly.
“But we’ve got two days just to ourselves. We’ll work, go for walks, eat good food… sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
It was the kind of thing someone more interested in Wookyung than the job would say.
It was unusual for Saheon, which made it kind of endearing.
Wookyung’s lips twitched.
“Well… that doesn’t sound too bad.”
Because Saheon was carrying his suitcase too, Wookyung walked ahead, feigning indifference.
“Why?”
He glanced back and tilted his head.
Saheon had a strange look—half happy, half shy.
Seeing that made Wookyung’s face heat up too, and he suddenly didn’t know where to look.
He picked up his pace to avoid answering.
“Wookyung, be honest.”
With his longer legs, Saheon quickly matched his stride and asked again.
“About what?”
“You couldn’t sleep ‘cause you were excited about going on a trip with me, right?”
He leaned in close and whispered—casually, in banmal (informal speech).
“W-what? What did you say?”
Wookyung flinched at the warm breath tickling his ear.
But even more shocking was that Saheon had just dropped honorifics with him.
“You’re denying it?”
“Why are you speaking informally?”
“If you don’t like it, speak casually too. We’re the same age, and we went to the same school, right?”
They were the same age.
But calling them schoolmates felt like a stretch—Saheon had gone abroad during middle school.
But that wasn’t the real issue.
“Wow… You thought I wouldn’t do it if you dared me?”
When Wookyung snapped back, Saheon’s eyes sparkled.
“Then try calling me by my name.”
Wookyung had been about to respond right away again, but narrowed his eyes.
It finally dawned on him—he’d been lured in by Saheon.
“Let’s go, Director. We’re going to be late.”
Seeing Wookyung suddenly switch back to polite speech, Saheon let out a small, amused laugh, as if he found it adorable.
Still, he didn’t press him to say it again.
“Why the sudden formality? I’m sorry, Wookyung-ssi. So instead of ‘Director,’ just call me ‘Saheon-ssi.’”
“Yes.”
“And anytime you feel like it, you can drop the formalities and just say ‘Saheon-ah.’”
Flirting. As natural as breathing.
Seriously, how can he be this shameless?
Thinking back, he’s been like this since they first met.
Even though Wookyung had no memory of him, Saheon kept trying to shake him up with all sorts of words.
At the time, he had no idea why Saheon was acting that way.
“Saheon.”
He finally said it, but Saheon didn’t even turn around.
Still, Wookyung clearly saw the tips of his ears turn red.
And his shoulders flinch.
A mischievous smile crept up Wookyung’s lips.
“Choi Saheon.”
This time, Saheon whipped around so fast he might’ve made a breeze.
His wide eyes trembled visibly.
Wookyung’s grin deepened.
“Say it again.”
“…”
“Hmm? Wookyung-ah.”
“…”
“Just once more. Hmm?”
Saheon stuck close, pestering him, but Wookyung just kept walking steadily.
Even after they passed through departures and reached the airport concourse, Saheon kept up his one-line plea.
Eventually, Wookyung called out “Saheon” again in an offhand tone, lips curled in a smirk.
“Jeez, you’re noisy. Keep it up and we’re getting separate rooms.”
Saheon’s eyes grew wide, as if to say, ‘How could you even say that?’
It was cute—and funny—so Wookyung kept teasing him all the way to the gate.
By then, Saheon started laughing along or pretended to sulk, going along with it.
Once they reached the business lounge, Wookyung finally said what he’d been holding back.
“Next time, at least give me a heads-up.”
“About what?”
“This trip. It’s not covered by the company, is it? You paid for this out of your own pocket, didn’t you?”
Back during the Shanghai trip too, Saheon had nonchalantly booked business class.
And now he’d done it again.
If this is going to be a habit, he could at least give some warning.
It just makes Wookyung feel guilty.
Then suddenly, Saheon took his hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss against his fingers.
“It just made me feel better to do it this way. I’ll tell you next time. But only if you promise not to say no.”
“What if I do?”
“Well… that would really break my heart.”
Wow, that sounded like something straight out of a drama.
Wookyung pouted but couldn’t hold back a breathy laugh and nodded.
Then he gave Saheon a firm look.
“Fine. But once we land in the U.S., the first meal’s on me. So you’re letting me treat you.”
“Works for me.”
* * *
